I am thinking about Christmas shopping already, and I know my girlfriend would love a shotgun. She can shoot just about any gun that exists, so the only constraint is my budget. Is it realistic to expect to be able to get a decent shotgun, primarily for home defense, in the $2-300 range? If so, I would appreciate some suggestions.
thanks.

Such a shotgun would almost certainly be slide-action, unless something like the Stevens 311R Guard Gun side-by-side is still manufactured. Anyway, I might suggest the following for your consideration.

The Remington 870 Express HD (HD stands for Home Defense) is an economy-grade shotgun in terms of finish, but is solidly-built and reliable in terms of basic quality. The last time I saw one at the local gunshop, it was priced somewhere around the range you mention. FWIW, this would probably be my first pick.

The Winchester 1300 Defender is a good gun, too, and may be a little smoother and easier to shuck due to its different locking system.

The Mossberg 500 would be another good possibility, although, in my own experience, Mossberg quality control is somewhat below that of Remington and Winchester. Still, I have a Mossberg 500USA and am pleased with it.

Mossberg 500, as for their quality? I have had 3 and have loved everyone of them. None of them had any better or poorer finish and fit than any of the remingtons or winchesters I have owned. Also had an 835 ulti-mag, but you have to consider that 3 1/2 inch magnums aren't really a good choice for defense. You can easily get into a 500 or a remington 870HD for your price range.

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DOCSpanky
"Walk softly and carry a big stick, perferably one of the 12 guage variety!"

Gotta vote for the Remington 870. You can find the Express models for well within the price range you are looking at. At last look, Wal-Mart had 'em for $237 with 28" bbl. Get a hacksaw and cut the bbl to 18" or have it professionaly done for about $25 You can get a used one for under $200 sometimes. I would recommend staying away from the 870 HD model as you can not easily add such nasty features as extended mag tubes to these guns. (Remington selling us out too??) Not sure but I think that the newer Express' may also have this problem.

Rob

RKBA

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It's amazing what a large group of stupid people can accomplish.
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I use a MOSSBERG ATP-8 (20" cyl choke, 7+1 rounds) for home defense and squad car gun. Never had a single problem with it. Most xtra barrels won't fit cause they are for the 6-shot (5+1) extension, but occasionally I see extra barrels that fit. At any rate, I'm not interested in using it for hunting 4-legged critters--I've got other scatterguns for that. I also own Rem 870 Wingmaster 20" 8-shot--probably a little nicer finish but I'm not out to impress felons w/gun finishes.
I used to own the Win 1200 but sold it cause it wasn't my preference.

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